Railway-car truck



June l 1926. I 1,586,789

T. ELLIOTT RAILWAY CAR TRUCK Filed Feb. 26, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 mvzuron THomns ELLIOTT,

QMAQQMAR,

VATTTORNEH June 1 1926. I

T. ELLIQTT RAILWAY CAR TRUCK Filed Feb. 26 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented June 1, 1926.

UNITED STAIES PATENT OFFICE,

THOMAS ELLIOTT, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE CINCINNATI CAR COM PANY, OF WINTON PLACE, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

RAILWAY-CAR TRUCK.

Application filed February 26, 1925. Serial No. 11,645.

This invention relates to improvements in railway car trucks, particularly trucks designed for use with interurban andcity railing with such helical spring in performing such operation of checking and returning the bolster from and to normal position.

I have found that it is diflicult to get such a coordination of springs as will support the car bolster 0n the truck, a floating bolster which has no pivotal or king-bolt connection with the truck, and will permit yet check and reduce the side thrust movements of the bolster, without causing a return lateral movement of the bolster so violent or forcible as to set up a lateral jerking action of the bolster, checking it too suddenly in its lateral thrust and forcing it back too severely in its return movement. It is to overcome this lateral resulting jerking movement of the bolster that I provide this combination of a helical spring and a link connection between the two sections of the leaf spring, which combination I have found in the actual use of the invention on railway cars to be effective and to operateto duly check the lateral thrusts of the bolster and to duly return the bolster toward a normal position, in an easy and smooth manner free from jerks.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a side elevation of a railway car truck embodying my invention;

Figure 2 'is a plan view thereof; Figure 3 is a transverse sectional vlew;

Figure 4 is an enlarged detail view of the connecting link. i Referring to the drawingsin detail, the numeral 1 designates, generally, a railway car truck composed "of side members made of upper arch bars 2, lower arch bars 3 with suitable journal boxes 4 with helical supporting springs 5 and. of a general frame 6,

of cast iron, duly secured in any convenient manner to the rest of the structure.

The truck further comprises a spring plank 7 secured as by bolts 8 and 8 to the frame 6, a bolt 8 also serving to connect the spring plank to the lower arch bar 3 and additionally to the frame 6. A bracket 9 secured to such frame by bolts and nuts 10 carries the lower section 11 of the leaf spring composed of this section-and a; like section indicated at 12. The latter or upper section is carried by a bracket 13 which in turn is secured by one or more bolts 14 to i the body bolster 15.

It will now be understood that the weight of the car body and its load comes upon the bolster 15 which I denominate a floating bolster because its connections with the spring plank 7 are flexible through themtermediary of the leaf springs composed of the sections 11 and 12 and the helical springs 16 and links 17. In addition I interpose between the spring plank and the bolster,

'near each end, one or both helical suppoit ing springs 18 and 19 as set forth in my applicatlon Serial No. 710,631 now Patent No. 1,550,307, dated August 18, 1925, filed May 2, 1924, for improvements in railway car trucks. In that application I also showed and described elliptical springs interposed between or connected with the ends of the bolster and the spring plank. In the present invention it will be observed that the sections of the leaf springs are not pivot'ed together at their ends, as in the form shown in said prior application, but are interconnected by the helical springs 16 and links 17 which I will now describe in particular.

The helical spring 16 is fitted at its upper and lower ends within seats 16 which are in the nature of shallow cups fitting over 3 the ends or last coil of the spring and having marginal flanges 16 which embrace the edges of the longer leaf 'or each section 11 and 12. These cups are held to the spring sections 'by means of suitable fastenings such as bolts or rivets 16. In this way the springs 16,not only transfer" the weigth from the upper sections-12 of the leaf springs to the lower sections 11 thereof but being thus firmly seated and connected with these spring sections the springs 16 offer resistance to-side r s r m ements of the car b l r;

Any such movement tends to flex or bend out of the vertical the springs 16. By their nature they resist that tendency and hence check such lateral thrusts. Their return movement to the vertical causes the springs 16 to promptly return the bolster toward and to normal position.

The 'otherends of the lower and upper leaf spring sections 11 and 12 are connected together by a supporting and yet yielding or flexible link generally indicated at 17. This link is composed of upper and lower standards 17 and 17 best shown in Figure 4 and respectively provided with flange bases 17 and 17 by which the standards are secured to the respective spring sections. Each base is slotted as shown at 17 in Figure 4 to receive the end of the longest leaf in each spring section which is turned over to readily enter such recess and interlock the base with it. Other leaves of the spring sections pass between the flanges of the bases 17 and 17 while clamping bolts 17 extend from flange to flange of each base and across the spring leaves to complete the connection between each spring section and its standards 17 and 17" respectively.

Each standard terminates in a jaw 17 which affords a deep recess 17*. These recesses receive the endsof a link proper 20 which flexibly and strongly interconnects the two standards 17 and 17 of each link equipment, of which there are two, one for each pair of leaf springs.

These link equipments freely permit the lateral movement of the upper spring section 12 when the bolster suffers a side thrust, and as freely permit the return movement, yet without resisting the outward thrust or accelerating the return travel of the bolster, which functions of checking the outer movement and aiding in the return movement are performed by the helical springs 16.

Thus at one end of the leaf spring sections 11 and 12 there is set up through the operation of the helical springs 16 a yielding or spring resistance to the lateral thrusts of the car bolster and a spring pressure action to return the bolster toward and to normal position; while at the other end of these eaf spring sections the link equipment acts permissively in permitting the .lateral thrusts and in permitting the return movement of the bolster without tending to accelerate it. These two instrumentalities, the helical springs 16 and the link equipments thus coordinate and offerjust enough increasing resistance to the lateral thrusts. of the bolster, as the springs 16 are bent outward at their upper portion further and further, and just enough gradually lessening pressure, due to the return movement of the springs 16 bringing them gradually back to normal, to check the-lateral thrusts of the bolster and to .returnthe bolster to normal without jerks, and without undue resistance to the outward movement of the bolster and without undue acceleration of it in effecting its return movement.

In practice I have found what is here stated to be the actual performance of the helical springs 16 and the link equipments 17 in respect to their positive and permissive actions in cooperation with the sections of the leaf springs and the bolster.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a truck, the combination with a floating bolster and the truck frame proper, of a'leaf spring, one of whose sections is secured to the bolster and the other to such frame, a spring connected to the sections of the leaf spring near one end and a link equipment connected to them near the other end, such connecting spring acting to resist lateral thrusts of the bolster and to return it to nbrmal and such link equipment permitting these movements.

2. In a truck, the combination with a floating bolster and the truck frame proper, of aleaf spring. one of whose sections is secured to the bolster and the other to such frame, the position of the leaf spring being laterally beyond the truck frame, a helical spring secured to and between the leaf spring sections at one end. and a link equipment secured to such sections at their other end; such helical spring and link equipment being adapted to transfer the weight from the upper to the lower spring section and both adapted to permit the bolster and the upper spring section to move laterally and return, the helical spring acting yieldingly and the link equipment freely.

3. In a truck, the combination with a floating bolster and the truck frame proper, of a bracket secured to such bolster, a leaf spring section carried by such bracket, another bracket secured to such frame, another leaf spring section/carried by such second bracket, a helical spring between and connected to the spring sections at one end and a link equipment between and connected to the other end of such sections.

4. In a truck, the combination with a floating bolster and a spring plank, and helical springs positioned between and connected to the bolster and plank, of a leaf spring com osed of two sections, one section secure to the bolster and the other to the truck structure, a helical spring connected -with the spring sections at one end and a link equipment connected with them at the 1 other end.

5. In a truck, the combination with a floating bolster, a spring plank, and a plurality of coiled s rings located between and attached to the olst'er and spring plank, of a bracket secured to the bolster, another bracket secured to the truck frame, a leaf spring composed of two sections, one section carried by each bracket, a helical spring positioned between and secured to the spring sections at one end, and a link equipment positioned between and secured to the leaf sections at the other end. i

6. In a truck, the combination with a leaf spring composed of two sections, of a helical spring secured to said sections at one end, and a link equipment secured to them at the other end.

7. In a truck, the combination with a leaf spring composed of two sections, of a helical spring secured to and positioned between said sections at one end and a link equipment comprised of two standards, one connected to each spring section at the other end, and a link proper connecting the two standards together. 7

8. In a truck, the combination with a floating bolster and a truck frame proper, of a leaf spring composed of sect-ions, one section secured to the bolster and the other to said frame, a helical spring positioned between and secured to the spring sectionsat one end, and a linkequipment composed of a standard secured to the other end of each spring section, such standards overlapping each other and each provided with a recess and a link proper fitted to said recesses and interconnecting the standards together.

9. In a truck, a leaf spring composed of two sections, and a link equipment composed of two overlapping standards one extending upward and the other-downward,

and one secured to each spring section, and a link proper with which both of the standards are engaged to sustain the weight incufinbent on one standard by the other-standar 10. In a. truck, the combination with a leaf spring composed of two sections, of a spring equipment composed of two standards each having a flanged base provided with a slot adapted to receive the end of a leaf of such springs, a securing bolt for each base to additionally connect it with its spring section, one standard projecting downward and the other upward from its base, and a link proper fitted to the end of each standard, whereby the standards are flexibly interconnected to sustain weight and permit of movement.

11. In a truck, a link equipment consisting of two overlapping standardseach having a base attachable to a leaf spring, each standard also provided with a jaw having a recess, and a link proper fitted in-said recesses to sustain the weight incumbent on one standard by the other standard.

12. In a truck, a link equipment composed of two standards one extending upward and the other downward and having their ends positioned in substantially the same plane,

and a link proper fitted to said ends and adapted to transfer Weight from one standard to the other and to permit of relative movements of the standards.

In testimony whereof, I afiix my signa- 7 ture.

THOMAS ELLIOTT. 

